Fire-escape



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. M. STIVER & G. A. HILTON.

FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 425,554. Patented Apr. 15, 1890.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. M. STIVER & G. A. HILTON. FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 425,554. Patented Apr. 15, 1890.

- fig 11. [i 111- UNITED STATES J OHN M. STIVER AND GEORGE ARTHUR HILTON, OF HURON, SOUTH DAKOTA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 425,554, dated April 15, 1890.

Application filed January 25, 1890. Serial No. 338,064. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN M. STIVER and GEORGE ARTHUR HILTON, citizens of the United States, residing at Huron, in the county of Beadle and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to that class of fire escapes which are attach ed to houses near the windows of their upper stories to aid persons to descend safely from the window to the ground in case the regular avenues of exit are out off by any calamitous event, and particularly by fire.

The object of the invention is in general to provide a device to serve as a fire-escape which may either be attached to the wall of V a building, outside or in, over a window, or be built into the wall in the construction of the house, or be set into it at any time, and, more in detail, first, to provide a winding device which may be repeatedly used to wind up either one of two ropes, chains, or tapes while a'person is descending by the other; second, to regulate the speed of descent to one of uniform safety; third, to provide means for holding the descending line away from the wall, so that a person descending on it may not hit the window or door projections; and to this end our invention consists in the construction and combination of parts forming a fire-escape, hereinafter described, and particularly set forth in the claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a house, showing our invention set into the outside of the wall and in the act of being applied. Fig. II represents some of the principal features of our invention in longitudinal vertical section parallel with the plane of the wall. Fig. III shows a vertical transverse section at the line X, Fi II, with the lid closed. Fig. IV represents a portion of a house with the fire-escape in service, and

shows the invention located inside the to the wall of a house or built into its outside or inside above any window or doorway.

Sis the box-lid, hinged at its lower edge and so fastened that a strong pull upon the cord 9 will open it and cause it to swing down.

10 is a belt adapted to fit around a person at the Waist or under the arms, and provided with a series of rings 11 at one end, any one of which may engage with a hook 12 at the otherend to fit it for any sized person.

13 is a snap-hook whereby the belt may be quickly attached to any ring 145 or be detached therefrom.

15 represents atape, chain, or cord of woven wire or other suitable material, provided with the ring 1% and wound upon a spool 16. 17 is another groove in the same spool 16, and 18 another tape wound thereon, but in the opposite direction around the spool to the tape 15, so that the act of unwinding either tape winds up the other. This double spool 16 17 is provided with or mounted rigidly upon a hub and shaft 19, which is journaled to revolve in bearings 20, that are fixtures of the box 7. The shaft 19 is hollow and the governor-rod 21 is fitted to play freely through it longitudinally; but the shaft and rod both revolve together. This may be caused by a square rod fitting asquare hole in the shaft; but it is more desirable to use a round rod with a cross-pin 22 to engage slots 23 in the shaft.

24 represents governor-balls adj ustably secured upon arms 25, which are pivoted at 26 in cars of the shaft 19.

27 represents links connecting the inner ends of the arms with the rod 21.

28 is a friction-pan rigidly fixed in the box 7 and dished out concentricallywiththe rod 21.

29 is the friction-disk rigidly fixed upon the rod 21 to revolve therewith and made of any suitable material, either elastic or nonelastic.

30 isa crank attached to the rod 21, whereby it maybe revolved to wind the tapes 15 18 upon their spools- The lid 8 is box-shaped to contain the belt 10 and the free end of one of the tapes, to which it is hung, so that when the lid drops open it throws down the belt within reach of a person at the Window. A number of belts may be stored in the box, to be similarly thrown out when it is opened, and one person may be securing one of these free belts around himself while another person isdescending. The unused tape, being wound upon the spool and its outer end secured, may be freed by the second person as soon as the stopping of the spool shows that the first descender is safe, and be attached to the belt of the second. Now the descent of the second rewinds the tape of the first and returns that belt for the use of a third person waiting, or he may more quickly unhook it and hook on his own belt, leaving the first belt to be applied by the fourth person while the third is descending. By this means no time is lost in rewinding tapes nor in attaching belts. By means of the set'screws in the governor-balls they may be secured to the arms at distances from center to be raised by the revolution of the spool at any desired speed, and when the balls rise the inner ends of the arms depress the rod 21 and force the disk 29 to rub in the disk 28, thereby producing friction enough to control the descent of persons of different weights all to one even rate of speed, thus insuring safety. WVhen the box is upon or in the outer face of the wall, as in Fig. I, we provide a bail 31, which is connected with the lid 8 by means of chains 32, whereby it will be swung out with the lid,

and which is further connected with the top of the box by brace-chains 33, to support the bail when a weight hangs on it in service. The bail may be provided with rollers 34 for the tapes to run freely over.

Nhile we prefer to use incombust-ible and otherwise indestructible material for the various parts of our fire-escape, we do not limit ourselves to any particular material.

The snap-hook 13, being free upon the belt 10, may be moved around the person after the belt is put on, to balance him in the desired position.

I Having thus fully described our invention, what we believe to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

In a fire-escape, the combination of a double spool having a hollow shaft journaled in fixed bearings, a rod fitted to slide endwise within the shaft and to revolve therewith, a disk,

by the said disk, governor-balls adjustably secured upon arms which are pivoted to the said hollow shaft, connections between the said arms and rod, and a tape, chain, or rope wound upon each spool, substantially as JOHN M. STIVER. e. ARTHUR HILTON.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM M. CALDWEL FRANK WI SON. 

